No one in politics would make the mistake of saying the vice president opposes abortion rights, but Joe Biden, the women’s rights advocate and a staunch Catholic, has not been unwavering throughout his career in support of the right to choose. . . .

Heading into tonight’s debate, Ryan’s stance on abortion hasn’t changed - no matter what he says. The fact of the matter is, "draconian" would be a nice way to describe his plan for women when it comes to abortion rights in America. . . .

A British nonprofit organization said Thursday that it would open an abortion clinic next week in Belfast, the first ever on the island of Ireland, raising a furious reaction from anti-abortion campaigners who promised to pressure local politicians to refuse to grant an operating license. . . .

A judge upheld an
Alaska law requiring girls who are minors to tell their parents they
want to have an abortion but struck down a provision that would have
increased potential civil liabilities faced by abortion providers, state
officials said on Tuesday.

Alaska Superior Court Judge
John Suddock ruled late Monday that the parental-notification law, which
stemmed from a ballot initiative passed in 2010, was constitutional but
was likely to have a negligible effect on family involvement in
teenagers' lives. . . .

Decline in American Teen Abortion Rate Puts United
States on Par With Some Industrialized Counterparts, but More Progress Is
Needed

A new study of countries with liberal
abortion laws finds that abortion is more common among women in their 20s than
among women of other ages, according to "Legal Abortion
Levels and Trends by Woman’s Age at Termination," by Gilda Sedgh et
al. of the Guttmacher Institute. A large body of research has shown that this
group often wants to postpone childbearing, which would interrupt their ability
to work or complete their schooling; in addition, many young adult women have
yet to establish stable partner relationships. The current study found that
recent declines in the teen abortion rate in the United States (now at 20
abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–19) have put the United States on par for the
first time with several other industrialized countries, including England and
Wales, Scotland, Sweden and New Zealand. This marks a considerable change from
the mid-1990s, when the U.S. teen abortion rate was substantially higher than
that of any other industrialized nation. . . .

Back in August, the Affordable Care Act gave women with health insurance access to free birth control. And according to a new study by the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, the national abortion rate will decrease as a result. . . .

Mitt Romney said Tuesday he has no plans to push for legislation limiting abortion, a softer stance from a candidate who has said he would "get rid of" funding for Planned Parenthood and appoint Supreme Court who would overturn Roe v. Wade. . . .

The Romney campaign walked back the remark within two hours of the Register posting its story. . . .

Two scientists who were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on Monday helped lay the foundation for regenerative medicine, the hotly pursued though still distant idea of rebuilding the body with tissues generated from its own cells. They are John B. Gurdon of the University of Cambridge in England and Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University in Japan. . . .

An estimated 40 million abortions will
take place in the developing world this year. Most of these procedures will be
clandestine and unsafe, taking a terrible toll on women’s lives. Every year,
47,000 women die from unsafe abortion and millions more are injured, some
seriously and permanently. These deaths and injuries are almost entirely
preventable.

To help ensure that the global debate
about unsafe abortion and its consequences is informed by facts, the Guttmacher
Institute has created a short video
presenting key evidence on abortion worldwide. . . .

In 2010, LSRJ launched a funded legal fellowship program for current 3Ls and recent law school graduates interested in working to advance reproductive justice through policy advocacy. Following a tremendous response from students and advocates in the field, LSRJ successfully selected and placed six Reproductive Justice (RJ) Fellows with six organizations in Washington, D.C. for the 2010-11 fellowship year.

The RJFP is intended to enhance capacity at reproductive justice organizations working to influence law and policy and to build a pipeline for future reproductive justice lawyers. The RJ Fellows are each paid $50,000 plus benefits and placed with placement organizations in Washington, D.C. for a year-long program (running August to August) that includes mentoring, professional development, training, and networking opportunities.

Applications for the 2013-14 Fellowship year are now available here. Fellow application deadline: November 1, 2012.

In a year in which most states have steered clear of contentious ballot initiatives, Florida voters are facing two proposed constitutional amendments — one on abortion, the other on the separation of church and state — that could have far-reaching repercussions. . . .

MANILA,
Philippines -- Philippine President Benigno Aquino is squaring off against his
country's powerful Catholic church in a bid to give people free access to the
means to limit the size of their families.

The
predominately Catholic country has one of Asia's fastest-growing populations
together with significant levels of chronic poverty. While neighbors have
accelerated towards prosperity, the Philippines has lagged.

Economists
say high population growth is a primary factor for that, but the church
disagrees. It says population growth is not a cause of poverty and that people
need jobs, not contraception. . . .